Fate (Drift Series Book 4) Read online

  “That is where you are wrong, Leo.” He called back as he reached down and grabbed a gigantic piece of broken ice which was the end result of his offensive maneuver.

  Without hesitating, he hurled the chunk and it nailed me square on. It exploded on contact, knocking me backwards again, leaving me totally stunned.

  “Have anything smart to say now?” He belittled me.

  Needless to say, I didn’t.

  The force of that huge ice shard really knocked the crap out of me. I staggered to my feet, trying to gather my wits. I decided the next best thing to do was come at him from the air again. I leaped up and started to charge him. That was a tactical error.

  Darryl picked up the ice chunks, one right after the other, and hurled them at me as I flew towards him. They were coming in such rapid succession that it was hard to dodge them all, and I didn’t. I managed to steer clear of a couple, but when I got closer to him, he struck me a few times which caused me to hit the earth in a violent crash. I was dazed and covered in snow. I did my best to recover quickly but it was to no avail. Darryl was on me in no time flat. He picked me up and punched me, which knocked me down. He then picked me up again and repeated the process a couple more times.

  When he thought he had me weak enough, which he did, he felt around for the Demon Dagger while his foot was on my face.

  “Oh the glory I will receive, not to mention the resounding satisfaction I am going to feel when I go to Christian as the one who destroyed the traitor. Our relationship has drawn near its conclusion.” He gloated as he finally discovered where I was hiding the dagger on my hip.

  He pulled it out a second before I could place my hand on it to stop him and stood over me with it cocked in his hand. He wasted no time and attempting to plunge the weapon into my body. I blocked his hand which caused him to stab it into the ice. Without delay, he pulled it back and thrust it at me again. I tilted to the side, narrowly avoiding it. Again, he pulled up and lunged down at me with it. I caught his wrist with both of my hands and stopped it a few inches from going into me.

  I had to give Darryl some credit. He didn’t stand over me and talk smack like Agrelia did, he didn’t grandstand and pad his ego like Shimmer, he went straight for the kill. Although it was for my demise, I had to salute him for that. That boy, or whatever, wasn’t playing around. No doubt he was genuinely in a hurry to dispose of me.

  After an intense struggle, I began to push his dagger loaded hand up some away from my torso, enough to where I could use my wings to thrust myself off the snow and ice. When I did, I spun myself around while maintaining my grip on his hand and snapped his wrist. This caused him to groan, but he still managed to hold onto the dagger. I then used the momentum from my spin to toss him over my shoulder. When I did, he flew over the top of me, finally releasing the weapon. He went one direction and crashed while the Demon Dagger went the other, landing somewhere, buried beneath the snow.

  The two of us saw the general area where the dagger landed, but neither of us knew the exact spot because we lost visibility on it.

  “Oh, so close, Darryl…seems you are always a step behind me,” I taunted him.

  Darryl rose back up with the help of his wings. I watched him twist and turn his injured wrist around. I heard the bones break and crack their way back into place like nothing had ever happened.

  “I cannot deny, Leo, that you have some grit in you. You’re most definitely a pain, but we’ve only just begun.” He shouted as launched himself in my direction and connected with me.

  He plowed into my sternum and lifted me into the air. I pounded away at his backside while trying to brace myself for wherever he was going to discard me. I was afraid to turn into shadow again because I knew doing it too much made me so much weaker each time I did it. I’d have to suffer this maneuver out. I had a quick thought and grabbed him in a headlock. As soon as I did so, he slammed us into the ground again. Snow and ice shot up all around us as we made contact. My body buckled when we hit, so did Darryl’s head in my grip. The impact dazed me badly, causing me to release my hold. Darryl’s head spiked into the ground and the momentum from the fall made him roll end over end away from me. He finally stopped in a heap before collapsing on his back. For the first time, the two of us were showing fatigue from the fight. For a few moments, we just laid there on our backs.

  Then something very strange happened—very, very strange. While trying to gather myself for Darryl’s next move, I heard him speak instead.

  “I never wanted to become this, Leo,” he said while still on his back.

  “Become what, Darryl?” I replied, suspicious of his motives. I figured he was buying time to recover, which was fine with me because I needed it too. I couldn’t gather myself enough to attack him yet.

  “This-this thing I am…what we are.”

  I was still perplexed, “None of us want to become demons, Darryl. It is our penance for a life gone astray.”

  “By whose standards? We never had a say. We don’t deserve this. I wanted to be something more.” Darryl remained still in the snow.

  “You deserve this life, Darryl. You were a horse’s ass when you were human.”

  “I know-I know. Just because I was who I was, didn’t mean I didn’t have dreams…aspirations…even compassion. I could have been something more.”

  “But you chose otherwise.” I sat up from the snow to get a better look at him. “You hurt people, Darryl. You used everyone around you, Shade, your friends, even your parents, in order to serve yourself. When things didn’t go your way, you set out to ruin people through despicable acts, trying to scar them for life emotionally…even kill them.” I pointed in fury at him.

  “You say that like I was remorseless, Leo, like it was all me in this. You and Christian played a game with my life, pushing me into doing things I wouldn’t have otherwise done. It is because of you and your interference in my life that I am here, Leo. Now I no longer have a choice, I must be a slave to...this. I hate you for that.”

  “You were remorseless, Darryl…rotten to the core. Besides, I didn’t make you do anything. You should know by now it doesn’t work like that. You chose to beat your girlfriend, you chose to try and steal her innocence from her and it was you that made the decision to try and kill her. At all times you held the power to not be a victim to your emotions. You sopped up your own anger and hatred like a biscuit on gravy. I am not proud for the part I played at the end times of your life, Darryl, but you were a despicable young human being nonetheless. That is why Christian chose you and that’s why demons like me were attracted to you. So why are you here now? Because of yourself. But…it doesn’t have to stay this way for you, Darryl.”

  He rose up and looked at me in earnest.

  “I’ve discovered that we all have the ability to change what we are if we choose…still. Even though we are demons, we are still given the gift of choice in this. All you have to do is embrace it. The ability to change, to some degree, remains.”

  Darryl looked at me for a moment before bowing his head to his outstretched feet in front of him.

  “It really doesn’t have to be this way…does it?” He mumbled.

  “No…look at me…it doesn’t.” I stood up and brushed some of the snow off my body.

  Darryl followed suit, standing as well.

  “You can make a stand, Darryl, change what you once were…become something more. I don’t know what kind of life either one of us can live in this state, I just know that we can carry on not doing someone else’s bidding geared towards the destruction of many, but maybe use our gifts for the repayment of a debt we owe to the world.”

  He looked at me for the first time I had ever known him, human or beast, with a look of understanding in his eyes.

  “I want to believe that, Leo. I think it is worth a try.” His hand extended and his head remained bowed. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He wanted to shake my hand.

  I wasn’t clear if he was genuine or not, but I figured I would a
ccept his invitation of compromise with me and place my hand in his. With that, we shook hands for the first time we’d ever known each other.

  “I’ve gotta tell you, Leo, I never pictured this in a thousand years.”

  “Neither did I.” I grinned.

  “I never thought you’d be stupid enough to fall for those lines of crap.” He yelled and punched me in mouth.

  As I hit the ground a few feet behind where I once stood, I realized what an idiot I was to fall for his little sympathy ploy. My initial instincts were right, he was buying time to recoup his strength and I bought into it like a sucker.

  “You are such a moron, Leo.” He chuckled as he marched towards me.

  I shook my head, still feeling like a fool as I sat up.

  “How stupid do you think I am? Giving up a life like this, with all of this power to be a slave to human interests? Are you kidding? I’ve never felt better in all my days. I would never betray the forces that gave me this new life. I’m not a fool like you.” He kicked snow in my direction.

  “Well played, Darryl.” I clapped in sarcasm. “You had me fooled. For a moment, I actually thought reason had crept into your brain. I should have known better.”

  “Oh, but it has, my dear Leo. I have come to understand that your quest for Diccittidel has been folly. We all know, even you know, that you will not survive this quest, but yet, you persist. You had unprecedented power in the palm of your hands, and you pissed it away on account of some worthless girl. You talk of reason? That, my old foe…is the definition of insanity. You had an eternal life and gave it all away. I pity you.”

  I casually stood up in front of him, still keeping an eye out for an attack from him as I did so, but he allowed me to stand freely.

  “You think that this life is worthy? Always feeling alone and angry—the only feelings we have. Never able to linger anywhere for too long, never able to get self-perspective, always loathed by anything and everything we come across, even our own kind hates each another. You’ve chosen a life of misery…if you can even call it a life. I’ve chosen a chance at freedom. I would never go back on that decision even if the overworld and underworld both handed the planet to me in a handbasket.” I approached him.

  “That is why you are weak, Leo.” He smirked.

  “Well…how’s this for weak.” Returning the favor, I pulled back and punched him in the mouth.

  Darryl flew backwards from result of the shot and plowed into the snow. He brushed himself off before he stood and grinned.

  “Well then…I guess we’ve reached an accord.”

  “I guess we have.”

  “This leaves us at the final curtain call in our relationship then.” He bowed.

  “Indeed. Let’s finish it.” I readied.

  “You know, a small part of me is going to miss you, Leo. Goodbye.” He flexed his massive wings.

  Darryl jumped up into the air and I went after him. We interlocked into an immediate struggle as we were airborne. We exchanged blows, trying to get the upper hand on the other. Darryl nailed me with a strong blow from a combination of moves with his extremely large wings. The blow knocked me towards the ground and Darryl charged after me.

  He snagged me before I hit the ground and rerouted us in the direction of the giant crevasse.

  “Time to take you back where you belong, Leo.” He roared.

  We were falling deeper into the crack, trading blows. As we fought, we kept smashing side to side into the hard jagged rock walls of the crevasse. We hit one particular time and the force of the impact separated us. I grabbed onto the walls of the cavern with the tips of my fingers as Darryl crashed into the other side below me. I clung to the wall, trying to figure out my next move.

  I wasn’t sure why Darryl flew us into the crevasse. He still needed to kill me with the dagger. I think he was trying to gain advantage somehow by dragging me into Hell. Maybe he had some help waiting on him, possibly he was even stronger there, I didn’t know. No matter, I just needed to use my wings so that was not going to happen.

  I didn’t think faster than Darryl did though. He flew up to me and slammed me in my back as I clung to the cavern wall. Rocks fell around us due to the violent impact from him hitting me. Then, he snagged me by the hair and started jolting my face into the hard rock wall I was stuck too. Darryl did it multiple times and once again I was feeling weak. Sensing that I was fatigued, he placed his arm around my throat, squeezed, and flew us towards the surface.

  I think Darryl simply wanted to use the course rock environment of the cavern walls as a weapon on me. That’s why he flew us down there. My body bouncing off unforgiving stone instead of flexible snow and ice took its course. The tactic worked. I was weak again.

  When we surfaced, he plowed me into the ground, face first as he kept his arm firmly around my neck. With his undeniable strength, he held me down as I began to feel my strength fade even more.

  “You’ve fought bravely, Leo my boy, but it wasn’t enough. I am a leader of Hell, only Christian and Lord Bellock are above me. I am more powerful than any Drift Demon that ever was…including you. I can feel your power leaving you, Leo. After a few more moments of me restraining you with my unmatched power, I will find the dagger, and it will be all over.” He whispered into my ear.

  I realized that he was right. I was fading fast. It would take me a few seconds to recover after he let me go and by that time he’d use his incredible speed to locate and retrieve the dagger and pierce me with it in my weakened state. I struggled to free myself and thrust my hands all over the ground, trying to get him off me. Darryl only squeezed harder.

  “It is futile, Leo. Your loss was inevitable.”

  While struggling to get free, I came to realize that my old rival had made a pivotal mistake in our battle. He slammed me right into the location of where the Demon Dagger was lying. When I was reaching and grabbing around trying to get a firm hold to mount some offense, my hand stumbled across the dagger. I grabbed it under the snow, waiting for an opportunity to use it. To reel him in for my opportunity, I went limp, hoping he’d let me go.

  It worked out exactly as I’d hoped. Once he felt me fade a bit, he released me with some parting words.

  “Don’t worry, Leo. We’ll take care of Shade and your child.”

  With those words I felt him fully come off me. As fast as I could, I turned around to see what he was doing. I spun just in time to see him lunging down to me from high in the air above. He was coming into me for a knockout blow before he seeked out the Demon Dagger. When he came down on me, I pulled the dagger to my front and aimed it at his sternum. He landed right on it.

  I saw the pain in his face as his mouth opened wide. All the life that remained in him was leaving him. It was turning grey and started to crack while his eyes hallowed out to black as he began to scream.

  “You lose again…Darryl.” I mocked him.

  With what little strength I had, I rose up while holding Darryl above me as he remained skewered on the Demon Dagger. I carried him over to the edge of the crevasse and lowered him towards it.

  “Tell Christian I said he’s next…oh, that’s right, you won’t be able too. You’ve just been completely eradicated from history.” I declared, placing my foot into his chest, sliding the Demon Dagger out of him.

  He screamed as he fell into the crack. I watched his body begin to deteriorate the further down he went. Suddenly, an array of light shot out of the hole where I had stabbed him and his body exploded into ash. The earth shook violently which knocked me on my behind. After the shaking slowed to an end, everything got still and quiet. Even the blizzard like conditions that were so relentless during the entire time we fought suddenly stopped. The wind came to a halt as well as the snow.

  Then, I got hit with a short vision. I saw Christian in Hell, throw his arms up in disgust and roar in anger at the reality of the defeat of War…Darryl. That was all there was to the sight before I broke from it. When I did, out of the crevasse, I actually heard a
demonic growl of fury echo from out of it. I knew that was Christian.

  Christian had failed to stop me again. Now there was nothing left to stand between him and me, at least that I knew of. Our fight was finally drawing near. I had proven worthy of facing him.

  But the time for that wasn’t now. Once again, I was able to return home to Shade and my child. That was all that mattered for right now. It is time to leave this frozen wasteland.

  CHAPTER 10

  ALIVE

  I had set my compass for home. War, or Darryl, whichever, was down. Not only have I defeated Agrelia and Shimmer, but I overcame the curveball in this journey, pitched by Christian. As far as I knew now, I had one foe left on my hit list, one more to go before I won my freedom. Whatever freedom that may be. Hell was one step closer to remaining in my rearview forever.

  It was night—not sure of the exact time—when I finally touched down back at home. While flying in I noticed quite a bit of snow. I landed at the end of our driveway at the front of our home. I looked to the porch and saw Shade sitting there, bundled up.

  We made eye contact and shared a silent smile in relief of my return.

  “It’s about time.” She giggled.

  “Yeah, I guess it is.”

  I started to walk towards her, expecting her to hop right up out of her chair and run to me in greeting like she had done so many times before. Instead, I saw her more or less push herself off her chair while arching her back to stand. It didn’t take me long to see that her stomach had grown dramatically and she was showing the signs of pregnancy.

  Seeing her that far along stopped me in my tracks. Like the battle with Agrelia, apparently time had passed in the human world while Darryl and I fought. The snow and her stomach were the sure signs of that.

  “How-how long have I been gone?” I questioned.

  Shade looked at me in confusion, “Will you shut-up and get over here and hug your wife?”

  I sheepishly adhered to her request and marched right to her, gripping her tight.